Brazilian Mother Finds Son Petting Alligator Behind Sofa

PARAUAPEBAS, Para, Brazil (BBC News) ~ A mother in Brazil was shocked to find a medium-size alligator behind her sofa, after heavy rains flooded her house. Even more alarming was way she found the reptile; her 3-year-old son was patting it on the head.

The woman snatched her child away from the beast and quickly called the local fire department, who came to her aid and trapped the 5-foot-long alligator. They said it was lucky that the animal wasn’t hungry. Firefighter Captain Luiz Claudio Farias said it could have seriously injured or even killed the small child.

Cpt Farias also said it was not uncommon for animals such as alligators and snakes to enter people’s dwellings in towns such as Parauapebas, which are located very close to rivers and the rainforest. He said the captured alligator was released unharmed in a less populated part of town.